Accordion shift mechanism



Aug. 18, 1936. o. SCHMIDT ACCORDION SHIFT MECHANISM Filed sept. 1e, 1955Patented ug. 18, 1936 PATENT OFFICE ACCORDION SHIFT MECHANIS'M .OttoSchmidt, De Kalb, Ill., assigner to Wurlitzer Grand Piano Company, DeKalb, Ill., a. corporation Aof Illinois Application .September 16,.1935., Serial No.. ,40,6651

8 Claims.

This invention Arelates to accondions and similar musical instruments,and is directed especially to manual means for operating or shift-ingthe por-tcontrolling slide governing the tone :quality of the music. Oneobject :of the invention is -to provide such a mechanism in a simple,economical form, and another object is to varrange the lmechanism socompactly that it shall occupy very `little space without any lsacrificeof eiciency. A further object iis .to :ensure the location of theoperating key or -lever in -a position which shall be particularly,convenient so that its use shall not interfere with the lplaying-:ofthe manual keys, even though it may be actuated .by the same fingerswhich are employed .on these keys. 'The invention lconsists -in `certainfeatures and elements of construction in combination, -as herein shownand .described and .as indicated `hy the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure y1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a portion vof thevaccordion ykeyboard and an adjacent wind-chest wall upon lwhich .theshift mechanism is mounted.

Figure 2 is a section taken substantially at ,the line v2--2 on Figure1.

Figure 3 is a front elevation -of theshift mechanism .itself with thecov-er removed, and lshowing the par-ts at one limit of their movement.

Figure 4 .is a section taken substantially at the same plane vasfFigure2 but show-ing the parts `at a Aposition substantially midway betweenlimits .of ethe stroke.

Figure y is a .section .similar to .'Figure, showing the .parts aspositioned at the end .of the .Working stroke.

,Figure 6 isa front .elevation 1of lthe shift mechanism with the `partsin the positions shown .in Figure .5.

-One use of the :shift-mechanism fof this invention Ais ythe .actuationof .slide valves :or dampers such :as are frequently :employedaccordions for adding or eliminating `a particular .set of .reeds .to be.sounded in Vconjunction with other reeds in wary-ing the :tone quality..Such ,slide valves are usually positioned `just hack :of the.wind-chest `wall, I, of which afragment appears in Figure l, and areinterposed .between the reed blocks, 2, Vand the ports, .3, :inthe-wall, said ports `)seing controlled by valves, 4,;actuated -byseveral keys, 5 of .the fmanua-l. The 4sl-ide val-ve itself, seen .,at16 may be ,simply Va plate `*having morts, 1 which are adapted :to abelregistered with :the ports, .3, and the .several chambers `of the :reedfblock when the slide `is :shifted .longitudinally from ,its closed (Cl.S4-37.6)

position .in which the :spaces between its ports, 1, chlse the:respective chambers .of fthe -reed block. 'Ilhis slide valve.-struct11re however, isLmer-.ely .an illustration 'of a .device whichmay ,be .actua-ted bythe mechanism of my invention, and it may .beunderstood :that it may .serve various other idevces `which .are.alternately .adjusted in one direction .and then -in the :.other.

The Vshift mechanism itself .is;shown .in :Figure 1, enclosed under acover, IzD., vof a ,casing vhaving a back plate, I I, seen inFigure 2,.and adapted .to be securedtofthe .wind-chestswall, I.,as\by.ascr1ew I2.A rockable member the `form of a disk, I 3, is carried .on a pivot stud,I4 anchored in the .back

plate, II, and ,steadied in an opening in the 15 cover, IIL `.Themember, 113.,.carries a crank pin, lpwhich engages infa slot, 8, theslide valve, f'I, for aotuatmg the latter when the disk, I3, is rocked.An arcuate clearance slot, IG, yin the back-plate, Ill may serve to'limit the .extent of the :ro cking movement.

Extending directly :over the manual keys I provide a nger-piece, I1,-zon a lever, 5I8, :fulcrumed at iI-.9 in Suitable brackets, .20,L.projecting from the -wmd-chest wall, I.. `The inner end, 2l., of thislever engages a slidably mounted pusher, .22, guided for reciprocationbetween the side flanges, .23, v`of :the casing, .and Vheld to .la .path.substantially in :contact with the AVback1p-late .by means of .a guidelug, `2.14., projecting ,inwardly from :the cover, ILD.. pusher, .22,iormed with fa transverse driving edge, 225, 'from -.which ,motion is:transmitted .to the rockable member., `'I;3., .through links, 2.6,which act alternately for this purpose to rock .the rmembl., I3., .rstin one direction :and .then in fthe other. iEach `link :is provided with:a A'ter-- minal lug, 21 whose transverse edge, 28, is fengaeeable .withfthe dri-ving edge, lof .the pusher, 2.2,; the fpartsare shown inposition readyforsuch engagement rin :Figure .3.

`Both lugs, .211., have portions, 2.9, 4vwhich .extend :laterally.across La commonpath along which they reciprocate, so that it isnecessary for these .por-- tions to mass eachother fin some manner :toavoid interference. Referring to :Figure 3, .it will abe seen that '-.asthe `pusher, :22, .advances upwardly (on .the drawing `engaging vthelug, 12.1 .of the right-,hand link., 25., .and thus motatingrt-hemember, I3, in `counter-cleolkwise direction, the fpor.- tion, 2.91, of`this lug :will meet ftheeimilar portion, .2.9, of the z-lug, y2.7.. Qn@the @ther link, rvvlfxielfi :.is caused to move in the,opposite-.direction (that is, downwardly on the drawing) as the disk,Yrotates. The edges .of -theparts, 2.9 which `.would a:otherwisecollide,are .beveled at andizso that as they meet, the beveled surfaces will actcamwise to cause the downwardly traveling lug to ride up over the lug ofthe other link, 26, as seen in section in Figure 4. And as the movementproceeds the lug will travel onto the surfaces of the pusher, 22, as`seen in Figure 5. The other lug, 2i, of the right-hand link, 26, willhave remained substantially in the same plane as the pusher, 22,throughout the stroke, and by its engagement with the driving edge, 25,of the pusher Will have been carried to the position shown in Figure 6.

Now, upon release of the pressure from the lnger-piece, lll, theretracting spring, 32, will swing the finger-piece up and draw the otherend, 2i, of the lever downwardly, at the same time retracting thepusher, 22, to the lower limit of its movement, so that it will withdrawfrom under the lug, 2l, of the left-hand link until its driving edge,passes the edge, 28, of that lug. Both links, 26, are preferably ofspring material, stressed to urge their terminal lugs, 21, toward theback plate, il; hence, when the pusher, 22, has withdrawn from under theleft-hand lug, 2?, the latter will snap toward the plate, il, intoposition for encounter by the driving edge, 25, the next time thepusher, 22, is actuated. And such actuation will drive the left-handlink, 26, upwardly, thus rotating the disk, i3, in clockwise direction,and returning the parts to their initial position illustrated in Figure3. Upon such return Amovement the lug, 2i, of the right-hand link, 25,will ride up over the part 29 of. the lefthand lug by reason of the camaction of their beveled edges, and Si. It will be understood that otherspring means than the links, 26, might be provided for ensuring theaction just described, but the mechanism is kept simple and .efficientby making these links of at spring stock, as indicated. The links andtheir terminal lugs are conned to their proper paths of reciprocation bythe presence of the side flanges, 23, of the back-plate, ii, and by aguide post, 33, upstanding from the back-plate, i i, and servingincidentally to receive the screw, 3ft, by which the cover plate, lli,held.V

The compactness of the shift mechanism embodied in the keys, it, ll, issuch that, if desired, this device can be mounted on the wind-chestWall, l, so as to occupy substantially no more width than one ofthevalves, ll, and with a pianotype keyboard it will be understood thatthere are naturally a number of. gaps in the row of valves correspondingtothe black keys; consequently, several of these shift devices may be solocated, if desired, for actuating various slide valves and otherdevices of the instrument, each shift being furnished with its ownlinger-piece, il, projecting over the keyboard in convenient positionfor actuation by the performer without materially shifting his hand fromplaying position without seriously interfering with his playing of thekey manual.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structureembodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the artthat various modifications and rearrangementsA rof the parts may be madewithout departing `from the spirit and the scope of the invention, andthat the same is not limited to the particular form herein shown anddescribed, except in so far as indicated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A shift mechanism for accordions comprising apivoted rocking member,a pusher guided for reciprocation toward and from the pivot of therocking member, and a pair of links pivotally connected to said memberat opposite sides of its pivot, said pusher having a driving face oredge transverse to the direction of its reciprocation and each linkhaving a lug with a transverse edge engageable with said driving edge ofthe pusher,

tive lug in the opposite direction.

2. A shift mechanism for accordions comprising a pivoted rocking member,a pusher guided for reciprocation toward and from the pivot of therocking member, and a pair of links pivotally connected to said memberat opposite sides of its pivot, said pusher having a driving face 4oredge transverse to the direction of its reciprocation and each linkhaving a lug with a transverse edge engageable with said driving edge ofthe pusher, said lugs having portions extending laterally across acommon path with transverse edges beveled for engagement with each otherto permit the lugs to pass each other by the cam action of, said bevelededges, forcing the idle lug to ride onto and over the active lug andpast the driving edge of the pusher while the latter is moving saidactive lug in the opposite direction, said pusher having a return strokesuiiicient to withdraw its driving edge from under the idle lug, and thelug being yieldingly urged pusher so that as the latter withdraws saididle lug will snap into the same plane as the pusher in position foractive engagement thereby in the next driving stroke.

3. A shift mechanism for accordions comprising a pivoted rocking member,a pusher guided for reciprocation toward and from the pivot of therocking member, and a pair of links pivotally connected to said memberat opposite sides of its pivot, said pusher having a driving face oredge transverse to the direction of its reciprocation and each linkhaving a lug with a transverse edge engageable with said driving edge ofthe pusher, said lugs having portions extending laterally across acommon path with transverse edges beveled for engagement with each otherto permit the lugs to pass each other by the cam action of said bevelededges, forcing the idle lug to Aride onto and over the active lug andpast the driving edge of the pusher While the latter is moving saidactive lug in the opposite direction, each of said links being of springmaterial stressed for urging its lug against the pusher, and said pusherhaving a return stroke suioient to withdraw its driving edge from underthe idle lug, permitting said lug to snap into the same plane as thepusher in position for active engagement thereby in the next drivingstroke.

4. A shift mechanism for accordions comprising a pivoted rocking member,a pusher guided for reciprocation toward and from the pivot of therocking member, and a pair of links arranged substantially parallel toeach other and pivotally connected to said member at opposite sides ofits pivot, guide means for conning the movements of said links and saidpusher to approximately parallel paths, said pusher having a drivingedge transverse to the direction of its reciprocation, and each linkhaving a terminal lug with a transverse edge engageable with saiddriving against the edge of the pusher, means for deflecting one lug outof the plane of movement of the other and of the pusher as they travelin opposite directions, whereby the idle lug is caused to ride past thedriving edge of the pusher while the latter is moving said active lug inthe opposite direction toward the pivot of the rocking member.

5. A shift mechanism for accordions comprising a casing with parallellateral guide flanges, a rocking member pivoted in said casing, a pusherguided for reciprocation toward and from the pivot of the rocking memberand between said anges, and a pair of links pivotally connected tosaidmember at opposite sides of its pivot; a guide post upstanding from thebottom of the casingv between said links for engaging their inner edges,each of said links having a portion engageable with one of the sideflanges for further guidance in substantially the direction of movementof the pusher, said pusher having a driving face or edge transverse tothe direction of its reciprocation, and each link having a transverseedge engageable with said driving edge of the pusher, together withmeans for alternately guiding each of said links in its idle stroke outof the path of the pusher while the latter is actively moving the otherlug in the opposite direction.

6. A shift mechanism for accordions comprising a casing with parallellateral guide Aiianges, a rocking member pivoted on the back plate ofthe casing, a pusher guided for reciprocation toward and from the pivotof the rocking member and between said flanges, and a pair of linkspivotally connected to said member at opposite sides of its pivot; aguide post upstanding from the back plate between said links forengaging their inner edges, each of said links having a portionengageable with one of the side flanges for further guidance insubstantially the direction of movement of the pusher, said pusherhaving a driving face or edge transverse to the direction of itsreciprocation, and each link having a transverse edge engageable withsaid drivingedge of the pusher, together with means for alternatelyguiding each of said links in its idle stroke out of the path of thepusher by movement transversely of the plane of the back plate while thepusher is actively driving the other lug in the opposite direction,

and a cover plate for the casing enclosing said links and rocking memberand extending substantially parallel to the back plate for limiting thedeflection of the lugs away from the path of the pusher, said coverincluding guide means for confining the pusher to its normal pathadjacent the back plate.

7. A shift mechanism for accordions comprising a pivoted rocking member,a pusher guided for reciprocation toward and from the pivot of therocking member, and a pair of links pivotally connected to said memberat opposite sides of its pivot, said pusher having a driving face oredge transverse to the direction of its reciprocation and each linkhaving a lug with a transverse edge engageable with said driving edge ofthe pusher, said lugs having portions extending laterally across acommon path with transverse edges beveled for engagement with each otherto permit the lugs to pass each other by the cam action of said bevelededges, forcing the idle lug to ride onto and over the active lug andpast the driving edge of the pusher while the latter is moving saidactive lug in the opposite direction, together with a crank pinextending fromthe rocking member for transmitting motion therefrom, amanually operable lever engaged with the pusher for actuating the samein driving direction, and a return spring for effecting the idle strokeof the parts.

8. A shift mechanism for accordions comprising a pivoted rocking member,a pusher guided for reciprocation toward and from the pivot of therocking member, and a pair of links pivotally connected to said memberat opposite sides of its pivot, said pusher having a driving face oredge transverse to the direction of its reciprocation, and each linkhaving a lug with a transverse edge engageable with said driving edge ofthe pusher, said lugs having portions extending laterally across acommon path and formed to cam upon each other as they pass, moving inopposite directions, whereby the idle lug is deected out of the plane ofmovement of the active lug and the pusher, and is caused to ride pastthe driving edge of the pusher while the latter is moving said activelug in the opposite direction.

O'I'I'O SCHMIDT.

